U.S. Reps. Blaine Luetkemeyer (MO-03) and Vicky Hartzler (MO-04) held a joint press conference at the Noren Conservation and River Access Area in Jefferson City to discuss the overreaching regulation by the administration known as the Waters of the United States (WOTUS).

Recently, the Regulatory Integrity Protection Act was introduced which would give agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 30 days to withdraw the current WOTUS proposal and charges them with developing a new proposed rule. In addition, this legislation would require the federal government to engage in a true federalism outreach process with states and local governments to ensure the new rule properly defines and respects the authority of local government entities.

“The current WOTUS proposal by the EPA is not only an attack on individual rights but also represents a huge encroachment on the rights of states to regulate the waters within their borders,” Luetkemeyer said. “The EPA can try to rebrand and repackage this proposal any way they want, but any reasonable person knows that it will do immense damage to our nation’s economy and individual property rights.”

Reps. Luetkemeyer and Hartzler were joined at the press conference by Darrick Steen, representing Missouri Soybeans; Steve Taylor, representing Missouri Agribusiness Association; Harry Thompson, representing the Missouri Farm Bureau Board of Directors; and Shane Kinne, representing the Missouri Corn Growers Association.

“This rule has been flawed in its inception,” Hartzler said. “As you look at the Missouri River here, it’s easy to understand why it is considered ‘navigable water’, and why the federal government has an interest in it. But when you picture a ditch alongside a farmer’s crops, it becomes ridiculous to think that the federal government should be regulating it.”